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By Akpan David, Calabar
Large number of journalists in Cross River State led by its chairman, Comrade Gill Nsa-Abasi of Nation newspaper paid a courtesy visit to a renowned spiritual leader, His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, at his vestry in Calabar.
They appealed to him to bring back the Investigative Journalism Award he bankrolled many years ago.
They told him that the award spurred journalists in the state and South-South region to aim at journalistic excellence through painstaking investigations.
They also appealed to him as their grand patron to always be available for them by supporting their State Council Headquarters redesigning project as well as sustain his interests in the welfare of journalists in the state.
Nsa said, “My predecessors and colleagues have told me how much you have always been of blessings to them. I plead that these should continue.
“We are appealing that you should please revisit the laudable Investigative Journalism Award as well as the Endowment Welfare Fund you funded for journalists in this state.
“As our grand patron, we also need your support to bring back the International Institute of Journalism, IIJ, Study Centre in Cross River State to help us train and retrain professional journalists. The trainings will help to stem the negative effects of wrong reportage noticed in the social media space in particular by untrained reporters.”
Nsa commended the renowned spiritual leader for his positive impact as well as massive boosts in the tourism sector in the state.
He said frequently there are influxes of adherents, worshippers, guests and tourists who thronged the state due to his humanitarian and spiritual activities.
According to him, countless Nigerians have benefitted from his scholarships, orphanage, and other welfare centres as well as economic establishments, which make him stand out as the second largest employernof labour in the state.
Also speaking, a national official of NUJ and former editor-in-chief of the state-owned Nigerian Chronicle newspaper recalled the many supports the national NUJ have enjoyed from Olumba Obu.
He expressed happiness that media outfits such as satellite StarCross TV, Sparkling Radio and newspaper tabloid established by the spiritual leader have employed journalists and are thriving.
Addressing the journalists, Olumba Obu charged them to emphasise more on reporting the truth, describing them as the conscience of the society.
In his address, the spiritual leader said, “I commend the journalists in Cross River State for the hard job of reporting the truth. In a society like ours, where those in power are likely to be given to corruption, and some private individuals well-connected to the sources of power often perceive themselves as somewhat above the law, the job of checking and reporting the truth couldn’t be more tasking. This is why it is important to specially commend and bless you all for choosing to act as watchdogs to protect public interest against malpractice and create public awareness.
“A few of you have been imprisoned and countless others intimidated and abused over the cause of your career for simply doing your job. Such bold sacrifices in defence of society are worth celebrating. I urge you to not relent but keep doing good for such commendable works are pleasing to God and attract divine rewards in due course in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Indeed, the world has had so much to say about freedoms. Democracies and other human institutions have continued to advance human freedoms in such commendable ways. However, it must be noted that some aspects of these freedoms, especially concerning the freedom to marry any gender of choice, run contrary to divine laws of God and must be checked to avert further decline and pervasion of the society. It’s inconsequential to hide under the cover of philosophical and academic arguments to deny the truth. When you find something to be true, there is no need to “balance” it. For instance, do you need any other balanced view to ascertain the fact that the sun rises from the east? Most of the freedoms that human institutions proclaim today are deeply rooted in falsehood and there is no truth in them. Therefore, you must not turn yourselves into purveyors of falsehood.
“Journalists all over the world serve principally as the conscience of the society. More than any other institution, the burden is essentially theirs to hold a mirror of reflection on society,” he said.
